Chemiluminescent detection of analytes has assumed increasing importance in a number of fields, including biomedical analysis, food testing, pathogen identification, forensic investigations and enviromental contaminant screening. The means of incorporating a chemiluminescent endpoint into a test or assay can take different forms, such as a chemiluminescent substrate for an enzyme label, a chemiluminescent compound shielded within a structure such as a micelle, liposome or latex particle or by using a chemiluminescent compound as a label. Numerous compounds have been devised for these purposes (R. Handley, H. Akhavan-Tafti, A. P. Schaap, J. Clin. Ligand Assay, 20(4) 302-312 (1997)). The use of chemiluminescent compounds to label species to be detected with small molecules has attracted interest due to the ability to attach multiple labels and to generate the chemiluminescence rapidly. Nevertheless, no single labeling and detection scheme has has proven superior in all applications.
Chemiluminescent Labels Luminol, isoluminol and related cyclic diacyl hydrazides were the first chemiluminescent compounds to be adapted as direct labels by modifying their structure to include a linking substituent. Their use is not satisfactory for many applications due to insufficient light generation limiting detection sensitivity. The low chemiluminescence quantum efficiency, 0.1-1%, and times as long as several minutes for all of the photons to be emitted diminish instantaneous light intensity.
Acridinium esters and acridinium sulfonamides have been used extensively in chemiluminescent immunoassays. (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,500, U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,103 and references cited therein). The principal advantages of these labels are the high yield of chemiluminescence (ca. 10%) coupled with the short duration of emission, typically 1-2 sec. Liberating the light energy in such a short flash creates high light intensities. The use of these labels, however, suffers from certain serious drawbacks. Acridinium esters and to a lesser extent the sulfonamides, are prone to hydrolysis to the nonluminescent carboxylic acid, the hydrolysis being accelerated at alkaline pH. The well-known problem of pseudo-base formation from attack of water at the 9-position on the ring requires a separate reaction step to regenerate the acridinium ring.
Ruthenium or osmium-containing complexes produce chemiluminescence when oxidized electrochemically in the presence of a sacrificial amine electron donor. The reaction requires a more costly and complex instrument for performing the electrochemical and light detection steps simultaneously.
While many large molecules are used as labels, including enzymes and the photoprotein aequorin, their use suffers the disadvantage of limiting the number of labels which can be attached to the target species and having the tendency of depositing non-specifically on supports and surfaces.
It remains a goal of the assay field to develop chemiluminescent labeling compounds which are small, water-soluble molecules, have high chemiluminescence efficiencies, emit the light rapidly upon reaction with simple chemical activating agents, are stable on extended storage and not subject to side reactions. The present invention provides such compounds.
Labeling Procedures. A wide variety of procedures for chemically binding labels to organic and biological molecules are described in the literature (see, for example: L. J. Kricka, Ligand-Binder Assays, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 1985, pp. 15-51 and M. Z. Atassi, "Chemical Modification and Cleavage of Proteins," Chapter 1 in Immunochemistry of Proteins, Vol. 1, Plenum Press, New York, 1977, pp. 1-161, and references therein). Antibodies and proteins are conveniently labeled by reaction of certain nucleophilic groups present in proteins (--SH, --OH, --NH.sub.2, --COOH) with chemically reactive groups. Appropriately functionalized nucleic acids and DNA probes can also be labeled by reaction with the corresponding reactive group on a label. Many other types of molecules which can be labeled including antibodies, enzymes, protein antigens, peptides, haptens, steroids, carbohydrates, fatty acids, hormones, nucleosides and nucleotides.
Chemiluminescent Detection in Gels. A method for the detection of the enzyme alkaline phosphatase in a gel using a chemiluminescent substrate has been described (N. Theodosiou, C. Chalot, C. Ziomek, BioTechniques, 13(6), 898-901(1992)). Applicant is unaware of any report of the electrophoretic separation and chemiluinescent detection of a chemiluminescent labeled compound in a gel.